Improvement in potato-diggers



i aient @time IsA'IAH senator Fous CoRNERsMARYLAND.

Letters Patent No. 88,088, dated March 23, 1869.

IMPROVMNT IN POTATO-DIG-G-ERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part oi the lame.

Beit known that I, ISAIAH SHAW, of Four Corners, Montgomery county, Maryland, have invented a new and improved Potato-Digger and JPlow combined and I do hereby' declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, iu which- Figure l is a perspective view of my combined potatodigger and plow. l .y

My invention consists in so constructing a potato digger or plow that all liability to choking at the throat is obviated.

My invention further consists in so constructing the frame that it may be used as a potato-digger or plow of any kind.

i -My invention further consists in the employment of a brace, of a peculiar construction, to strengthen the low.

p My invention further consists in the employment of certain devices applicable to potato-diggers, hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing;

The front portion of thebeam, is made straight. From a point of the beam, about over the share, the beam is madeto curve, as ,seen at a', until it meets the shoe b, to which it 'is securely fastened.

rIhe beam is again bent from the point where it is at first attachedl to the shoe 11,'as seen at a", and is again attached to the shoe at the point o.

The share is attached to the front part f the beam d by screws e e, or in anyother suit-able manner.

, In the ordinary plow, it is well known that dirt, grass, weeds, &c., accumulate rapidly at the throat, or between the beam and the lower part of the plow, requiring frequent stoppages of the plow, toremove the filth atl the throat.

By my construction of plow, the choking above described is avoided, as the grass. or weeds would pass into the open space in the beam, and if such grass, Btc., did not, as it usually would, readily pass off the f plow, the plowman could, by placing his foot upon it, 4removeit from the plow withoutthe necessity of stopping it.

A roller might also be employed at the curve of the beam,at the point a, to remove any grass, &c., which might accumulate there, or a wh eel might be employed,

running on th'e ground opposite the point a ofthe beam,

which, by pressing on any grass which might accumulate at the point a, would eectually remove it from the plow.

at the point d'. From thence it passes around the beam, concentric with it, and is attached to the rear portion of the shoe at m.

d d. are pillars or pieces connecting the brace c with the beam by this connection of brace I obtain almost ifnot'as much strength as if the whole beam was made of the thickness of the brace and beam combined, whilev greater lightness, a necessary requisite in a plow, is at tained. v

h h are the handles, which may be adjusted bya pin and holes, such as are ordinarily used.

In the drawing- S is the share of a potato-digger, though it is obv'ious that a shingle shovel or any other share, might be used.

f f are wings attached on each side of the share. These wings can be adjusted laterally, by means of a pin and holes, n n, to adapt the digger to the width of furrow l l l are arms, connected together at their bases, and loosely attached by a nut and screw, or otherwise, at t', to the shoe b. The arms l lare intended to raise the potatoes above the dirt, Ste, to separate them there from, and hence the pieces l l are attached loosely to the shoe, so that from the motion of the plowthey may have a vibratory motion to some extent.

The beam may be made in one or several pieces.

The operation of my potato-digger is as follows:

The wings f f are adjusted to adapt them-to the width of furrow, the dirt andpotatoes pass between the wings f f and the beam, and are separated by the projections l l, which have a vibratory movement from the forward movement ofthe plow, they being loosely attached to the shoe.

Having thus fully described my invention,

ters Patent, is-

l. A plow-beam, a a a", constructed substantially as described. 2. The combination of the plow-beam a structed as described, with the shoe b.

'3. The combination of the beam a a a, brace c, pillars d, and shoe l1.

4. The adjustable wings ff, in combination with share S, substantially as described.

5. The projecting pieces l l, loosely attached to the shoe b, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of the share S, adjustable-wings ff, and projecting-pieces l l, substantially as described. 7 The combination of the beam a a a, shoe b, share S, adjustable-wings ff, and projecting-pieces l l, substantially as described.

- ISAIAH SHAW.

a a, con- Witnesses:

Al. S. WORTH, W. READ.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let- 

